What does cut protection according to EN 388 mean?
Standards information: Cut protection according to EN 388
EN 388 determines whether a glove offers sufficient protection against injuries. This standard specifies various tests, including for cut and abrasion resistance. Due to the development of new materials and high-performance fibers, the cut protection test had to be adapted a few years ago. In addition to the conventional Coupe test, which is mainly used for gloves made of high-tech fibers, there is now an additional test: the TDM cut resistance test in accordance with EN ISO 13997, or ISO test for short. This is particularly relevant for cut-resistant gloves that contain materials such as steel or glass fibers. As part of the Coupe test, a rotating circular blade is passed over the glove to be tested several times. The resulting cut protection level ranges from level 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest rating. The ISO test, on the other hand, uses a sharp blade that is applied to the glove once with pressure to determine the amount of force required to cut through the glove. The result is classified in levels A to F, with F being the best possible protection.